The best stories pull readers in and keep them turning the pages, eager to discover more—to find the answer to the question: "And then what happened?" The true hallmark of great literature is great imagination, and as Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio prove with this outstanding collection, when it comes to great fiction, all genres are equal.

Frankenstein

Narrator Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) presents an uncanny performance of Mary Shelley's timeless gothic novel, an epic battle between man and monster at its greatest literary pitch. In trying to create life, the young student Victor Frankenstein unleashes forces beyond his control, setting into motion a long and tragic chain of events that brings Victor to the very brink of madness. How he tries to destroy his creation, as it destroys everything Victor loves, is a powerful story of love, friendship, scientific hubris, and horror.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Dorian Gray, a handsome and narcissistic young man, lives thoughtlessly for his own pleasure. One day, after having his portrait painted, Dorian makes a frivolous Faustian wish: that he should always remain as young and beautiful as he is in that painting, while the portrait grows old in his stead.

The wish comes true, and Dorian soon finds that none of his wicked actions have visible consequences. Realizing that he will appear fresh and unspoiled no matter what kind of life he lives, Dorian becomes increasingly corrupt. Only the portrait grows degenerate and ugly, a powerful symbol of Dorian's internal ruin.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains." So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem.

Little Women

It is no secret that Alcott based Little Women on her own early life. While her father, the free-thinking reformer and abolitionist Bronson Alcott, hobnobbed with such eminent male authors as Emerson, Thoreau, and Hawthorne, Louisa supported herself and her sisters with "woman’s work."

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

When a brute of a man tramples an innocent girl, apparently out of spite, two bystanders catch the fellow and force him to pay reparations to the girl's family. The brute's name is Edward Hyde. A respected lawyer, Utterson, hears this story and begins to unravel the seemingly manic behavior of his best friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and his connection with Hyde.

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

Author Beth Fantaskey injects a little humor into the vampire romance genre with this critically acclaimed debut novel. High school senior Jessica Packwood is a down-to-earth mathlete who's not sure what her future holds. What she definitely doesn't see coming is foreign exchange student - and vampire - Lucius Vladescu showing up at her door. According to Lucius, Jessica is actually vampire royalty, and they've been betrothed to one another since infancy.

Timeless Tales of Beatrix Potter: Peter Rabbit and Friends

Beatrix Potter's amazing universe of animals dressed in human clothing has taught and entertained children for over a century. This volume brings together 21 of Potter's tales and verses in one audiobook. Hear Peter Rabbit outwit old Mr. McGregor, and Squirrel Nutkin come within a tail's length of being an owl's dinner. Listen as a family of mice save the kind tailor of Gloucester, and as Peter and Benjamin Bunny battle a barn cat. Learn how one fierce rabbit is set on the road to honesty.

The Exorcist: 40th Anniversary Edition

Four decades after it first shook the nation, then the world, William Peter Blatty's thrilling masterwork of faith and demonic possession returns in an even more powerful form. Raw and profane, shocking and blood-chilling, it remains a modern parable of good and evil and perhaps the most terrifying novel ever written.

NYPD detective Jacob Kanon is on a tour of Europe's most gorgeous cities. But the sights aren't what draw him - he sees each museum, each cathedral, and each cafe through the eyes of his daughter's killer.

A Tale of Two Cities [Tantor]

A Tale of Two Cities is one of Charles Dickens's most exciting novels. Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, it tells the story of a family threatened by the terrible events of the past. Doctor Manette was wrongly imprisoned in the Bastille for 18 years without trial by the aristocratic authorities.

Doomsday Book

For Oxford student Kivrin, traveling back to the 14th century is more than the culmination of her studies - it's the chance for a wonderful adventure. For Dunworthy, her mentor, it is cause for intense worry about the thousands of things that could go wrong.

The Phantom of the Opera

The story begins with an investigation into some strange reports of an "opera ghost", legendary for making the great Paris opera performers ill-at-ease when they sit alone in their dressing rooms. Some allege to have seen the ghost in evening clothes moving about in the shadows. Nothing is done, however, until the disappearance of Christine during her triumphant performance.

A Christmas Carol: A Signature Performance by Tim Curry

A Signature Performance: Tim Curry rescues Charles Dickens from the jaws of Disney with his one-of-a-kind performance of the treasured classic. Our listeners loved this version so much that it inspired our whole line of Signature Classics.

The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights

King Arthur was a legendary British leader of the late fifth and early sixth century who, according to the medieval histories and romances, led the defense of the Romano-Celtic British against the Saxon invaders in the early sixth century. This book gives an account of the life of this great legend of all times.

How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age

Celebrating the 75 anniversary of the original landmark bestseller How to Win Friends and Influence People, comes an up-to-the-minute adaptation of Carnegie’s timeless prescriptions for the digital age. Dale Carnegie’s principles have endured for nearly a century. Since its original publication in 1936, his timeless classic How to Win Friends and Influence People has gone on to sell 15 million copies. Now, introducing new listeners to Carnegie’s words of wisdom, comes How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age, a new guide for a new era.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

The year 1866 was marked by a unique incident, a mysterious and inexplicable phenomenon, and rumors agitated the maritime population and excited the public mind, especially seafaring men. Merchants, common sailors, captains of vessels, skippers, both of Europe and America, naval officers of all countries, and the governments of several states on the two continents, were deeply interested in the matter.

Factoring Humanity

In the near future, a signal is detected coming from the Alpha Centauri system. Mysterious, unintelligible data streams in for ten years. Heather Davis, a professor in the University of Toronto psychology department, has devoted her career to deciphering the message. Her estranged husband, Kyle, is working on the development of artificial intelligence systems and new computer technology utilizing quantum effects to produce a near-infinite number of calculations simultaneously.

Publisher's Summary

In 1897, at the age of 50, Bram Stoker was touring manager to the actor Henry Irving and was enjoying a modest success as a journalist and writer. Publication in that year of Dracula was to bring him international and lasting fame.

The Dracula mythology has inspired a vast subculture, but the story has never been better told than by Stoker. He succeeds entirely in his aim to terrify. His myth is powerful because it allows evil to remain mysterious. Virtuous action has no more impact than Jonathan Harker's shovel. The high virtue of Lucy can simply be drained away, as her blood is drained away, until she too joins the vampire brood. Van Helsing's high-thinking and scientific skill cannot resist the dreadful potency of the undead. Only the old magic, a crucifix, garlic, a wooden stake, can provide effective weapons against the Count's appalling power.

(P)1998 Blackstone Audiobooks

What the Critics Say

"The world's best-known vampire story comes to life in this expert performance by Robert Whitfield....For a classic performance of a classic work, this production must not be missed." (AudioFile)

I've been listening to many of the classics I should have read in high school and college, but somehow missed. Dracula is one of them. I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did. I really liked how the novel was a compilation of diary and journal entries, memoranda, and newspaper articles. Bram Stoker's writing and description of the Count and his castle and the evil that surrounded them is chilling even today.

I've re-read Dracula many times over the years and always enjoyed it, so I was delighted to find that one of my favorite audiobook readers had done an unabridged version. Listening to it was a new experience, as so many small details become noticeable when heard, and I became more aware of the structure of the story than I had been before. While Van Helsing's broken English was sometimes more funny than Stoker may have intended, overall I thought all of the characterizations held up well, and despite knowing the story backwards and forwards I found myself getting teary once or twice. Definitely recommended!

I never envisioned myself looking at Victorian literature with much enthusiasm. But I was very glad so many people pointed me toward Bram Stoker's Dracula. I normally am unmoved by vampire stories, but loved Salems Lot by Stephen King, so I thought I'd get to the origin of all vampire lore by hearing this classic.

The voice acting was incredible. Robert Whitfield, who narrates, does such an incredible job of portraying all of the characters with such adroit voicing that I was enthralled into the story in a way that reading it to myself would have been lacking. Much as Shakespear's plays are very trivial when read to one's self, but become unrivaled triumphs when well-acted (and conversely disastrous when poorly-acted), this audiobook lived and breathed.

I cannot emphasize how amazing this book is and how well it performs. This will be a story I will listen to time and again. Bravo!

Dracula has always been one of my favorite novels. If you've already read the novel and are looking for a good audio version, I recommend this one. The characters really come to life with the narration. If you're a fan of Dracula/vampire films and are looking for a similar book, remember Dracula was published in 1897. This is every bit a Victorian novel, and is thoroughly imbued with the sensibilities, language, and sociology of the period. If you're looking for action, blood, and rip-roaring carnage, this is not the place to find it.

This is my all time favorite book. I have read and re-read this book. It's like an old friend so I was hesitant to get an Audible copy. However, Robert Whitfield's narration of this book is stunning. His characterizations are superb. This is a wonderful listen. It brings the book to life in a new way for me.

I recently undertook the personal challenge to listen to five different versions of DRACULA because listening to Bram Stoker’s classic years ago made me a fan of audiobooks. I enjoyed that experience so much that I decided to try to determine if I had just gotten lucky or if there was an even better version available. Besides, I wanted to listen to it again. With most books I feel fortunate to have just one audio version available, but with DRACULA there are so many versions offered that listening to them all is not practical. I first figured that I could handle maybe three different versions but then discovered two more that I thought deserved attention. The Audible list had these five that I thought might be contenders:

This is the Blackstone Edition read by Robert Whitfield, better known in the audiobook world as Simon Vance. His is the most speedy version, and by more than four hours compared to the longer versions! And this is not because any of the text has been cut out. This is the complete novel. Listened to by itself this might not be a factor but when directly compared to the other versions it seems hurried, almost as if he is intentionally rushing things in order to minimize the run time. For me, the rapid pace did not suit the material well. This is a gothic horror novel and as such the slow building of dread and deliberate mood building are key elements.Compare this version to the Audible Edition where the same narrator, as Simon Vance, portrays Jonathan Harker. The two renditions of the Jonathan Harker material seem to be read by two different actors. This demonstrates the range of the narrator. Whitfield's diction is impeccable and is always very clear and easy to follow. He is a fine sight reader. In the early chapters his accent for Count Dracula seemed to be changing from one scene to the next, but once he hits his stride the narrator became transparent. Throughout the course of the listening to the five versions, this solo performance of Whitfield continually gained in favor. On one occasion I failed to notice the chapter break while listening to this version and continued well into the next chapter; thus proving that one can become immersed in the story with this version.

TECHNICAL NOTESChapter stops match book chapter numbers.00:00:19 Includes the dedication, “To my dear friend Hommy Beg;” the only version to do so. Also includes the brief introduction: “How these papers have been placed in sequence will be made clear in the reading of them…”4:21:51 (Repeated phrase) "did not have full opportunity of examination as I should wish." 4:30:00 (Correct word use) “madmans” (TAD p. 111.3.10). This is the only version that uses a word here that in found in one of the print versions. The other versions use “madmen,” or “madmens,” which do not find textual support.10”38:00 (Repeated phrase) “as though overhead some dread bell would peel out powerfully.”9:56:10 Mispronunciation of “sentience.” (as SEN-t-ence)

One of the best books I've listened to! The narrator pulls you into the story until you feel you are there, watching the terrifying events unfold. His changing voices with each character are so smooth that you see & hear each person as they give their accounts & impressions of Count Dracula. The horror is facinating! Truly a pleasure!

The narrator did an excellent job at capturing the Gothic sentimentality of the characters. His interpretations of Stoker's prose and dialogue was just the right mood for the novel. As for the novel itself, there's no point in reviewing it. It's Dracula. Enough said.

Dracula is, of course, a classic horror/fantasy novel. As a younger person I tried to read this book, but my imagination was too good and I couldn't finish it, it was too scary! As a much older person I was able to listen to it and enjoyed it too!!! I was completely asbsorbed by the story and was always keen to listen to the next installment (whilst gardening!). The reader , Robert Whitfield, was excellent and easy to listen to, which is important especially with a long book. Definitely recommend.

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